Is Skydiving the Ultimate Thrill?

[SticksandStones]

Me and my roommates are looking to go skydiving next summer. The way I figure it...once you've jumped out of a plane what's left to scare you in life?

Has anyone gone? What was it like? Any tips?

 

[russ_watters]

I went a few years ago. I did the Accelerated FreeFall course (I think it has another name now), which gives you around 4 hours of training so you can jump solo on your first jump. You actually have an instructor on either side of you, holding on to you when you jump, but you pull your own rip cord and fly and land your own 'chute.

If you're the kinda guy who doesn't go slowly into swimming pools but dives right in, I highly recommend doint it that way.

 

[Huckleberry]

I've done 6 jumps total, 2 tandem and 4 solo. It's an amazing experience! The first few seconds of freefall were a little disorienting, but after reaching terminal velocity it felt exactly like flying. It was similar to the experience of learning how to swim for the first time, moving around in a new environment for the first time. In freefall your legs are like rocket engines and your arms are like wings. Your back is like the keel of a ship that pivots at the waist. It takes some practice to get a good feel for it, but the thrill is awesome every time.

On my first solo jump I forgot to arch my back on exiting the plane. I ended up in freefall facing the sky. Luckily, I didn't panic and remembered my training. After arching my back I flipped over and only lost some hundreds of feet. I still had time to complete the exercises before reaching the planned altitude for opening my chute.

On my third solo jump I completed the exercises quickly and opened my chute about 2000 feet too high. Oops! I was being blown off target over the airstrip. I saw a small plane on the runway waiting for me I suppose. I saw some power lines past that. I had a radio that allowed the instructor to give me commands from the ground. He told me to begin some tight turns to lose altitude quickly so I could make the landing field. He kept saying more, more, more, and I kept turning harder and harder and harder. Then my chute collapsed and I started to fall. It was only for a few moments, but I was fortunate that my chute reopened without getting tangled up in my lines.

You can expect about 45 seconds to a minute of freefall time, depending on your exiting altitude. If they are using a small plane like a Cessna you'll probably get around 45 seconds, but you might get to walk out onto the wing for your exit. If they are using something larger like a King Air then you can get around a minute.

The most important things are to remember everything your instructors tell you and to stay calm and focused. Enjoy!

Edit- It looked to me like the plane did a nosedive after everyone had exited. By the time I had landed my chute the plane was already on the ground. I always wondered what it would be like to stay on the plane when it landed like that. It's something to consider for someone thinking about chickening out.

 

[WhoWee]

One of my buddies is a retired Army Ranger. They typically jump at (I can't recall) either 300 or 600 feet - not very high for quick deployment.

He talked me into a jump and I recommend you listen very carefully to your instructor's advice prior to trying it for yourself. It's probably best to do it George Bush style - attached to an expert.

To do over, I'd practice jumping off the roof of my shed a few dozen times to build confidence for the landing.

All in all, I think white water rafting is more dangerous.

 

[Alfi]

Had to try it at least once. It's a rush! My once and only was static line.
Noisy plane, lots of wind and then you let go and everything changes.
sudden quiet and falling, with nothing to grab!
Never mind that arch thousand, two thousand, check thousand stuff for me.
I inhaled till the chute opened. If it hadn't opened I think I would have inhaled till I hit the ground. hehehe
Once the chute opened I loved the trip down. Saw some geese flying under my feet.
Steering was much easier than I thought it would. I could have hit the target if I was allowed to but they wanted us to land a little way out in the field.
Landing is unique the first time. All your life you have landed with acceleration and know when to flex or brace your legs. Because landing with the chute is constant speed your body just doesn't know when to react.

I prefer hang gliding. I don't like the 'falling' part, but love the floating down part.

 

[DaveC426913]

How do you make that first step? I am sure I'll freeze in the doorway.

 

[WhoWee]

How do you make that first step? I am sure I'll freeze in the doorway.

It's a big step.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm still contemplating the physics of vomiting while in free fall. Otherwise, it sounds like something fun to do...aside from the chances that your 'chute doesn't open, you break an ankle on landing, or completely miss the target and end up a big splat, like a bug, on someone's windshield.

And, if whitewater rafting is more dangerous, what if you land in whitewater? Huh? Didya think of that?

 

[Astronuc]

I once caught a landing skydiver before he became impaled on a piece of farming equipment. He had landed in the field where we were having a barbeque. The area had been freshly mowed and there was straw lying in the field. A light breeze was carrying him toward the equipment and the straw made for a slippery surface, i.e. he couldn't get traction. So I stepped in front of the equipment just before he got there.

Skydiving is on my list of things to do.

 

[waht]

I made a few bungee jumps, and had an opportunity to skydive over the rocky mountains, but the weather wasn't favorable. Floating in air is the only time where you can be truly free.

 

[Huckleberry]

How do you make that first step? I am sure I'll freeze in the doorway.

The first step is usually taken by the guy strapped to your back. You just got to hold onto your knees and let him roll you out. It can get cold up there, but I don't think you'll freeze. Take deep breaths if you need them.

 

[WhoWee]

Some tragic news regarding skydiving today.
http://news.aol.com/article/2-elite-skydivers-die-when-chutes/668064

 

[archis]

Fear of heights is one of my biggest fears. Although I managed fight it pritty well working in 18 story high building construction. I think i would freeze or would run into panic before jump like that. The guy next to me would have to slap me hard.

 

[Huckleberry]

Some tragic news regarding skydiving today.
http://news.aol.com/article/2-elite-skydivers-die-when-chutes/668064

It's usually the experienced divers that end up getting killed. I don't think it's just a chance/jump that something will go wrong and cause their death, but is more dependent on the risks they take in their maneuvers. First time skydivers won't be trying any risky maneuvers.

If it is a concern for someone considering their first jump then ask the company for their safety record before paying. If there is any hesitation to provide that information then just don't jump.

Most of the injuries new skydivers receive are minor landing injuries. They stop the chute too late and land too fast, or stop it too early and fall from about ten feet. They can also misjudge their velocity in comparison to the wind and mess up their approach. Mistakes are made in their compensations like a driver oversteering after losing control of a vehicle. New divers sometimes have problems hitting their landings. Until they are licensed they should be guided in with radio commands from someone on the ground. If the diver is calm and attentive they shouldn't get anything more serious than a grass stain, if that.

 

[turbo]

I have never jumped out of a plane, though I always wanted to. My right ankle was very badly sprained in a skiing accident years ago, so it's not in the best shape, and that always gave me second thoughts.

White-water rafting is actually very safe as long as you use the required floatation, helmet, etc, and wear a wet-suit when the water is very cold. We have some really nice class IV-V rapids, and for years I spent many of my spring-though-fall weekends kayaking and canoeing those rivers. As long as you can eskimo-roll or at least self-rescue it's pretty safe. The most dangerous times are when you're fooling around in the rapids and flip. For a second or two (before rolling back up), you're upside-down with rocks sailing past (hopefully!) your head.

My younger brother worked as a photographer for a business that sold video-tapes, slides, etc to rafters and as soon as the water level came up, he'd jump in the river with his waterproof gear box and run the Kennebec Gorge rapids with an inner tube to get to a good vantage point to take pictures of tourists in some big rapids. Eventually, the rafting outfitters made his boss forbid him to do that. The rafters had often paid $75 or more each for what they thought was a thrilling dangerous ride down the gorge and it kind of blunted their experience to watch a teen-ager run the gorge with an inner tube and a life jacket.

 

[Huckleberry]

Fear of heights is one of my biggest fears. Although I managed fight it pritty well working in 18 story high building construction. I think i would freeze or would run into panic before jump like that. The guy next to me would have to slap me hard.

That is one of the commands they use while jumping. Before the exit they will ask you if you are ready. During a tandem exit you will be balled up and asked to remain in that position until slapped on the leg by your tandem instructor. Then you move to a freefall position so the instructor can better control the decent. The instructors I spoke to said that people often don't feel the first slap on the thigh so they have to slap them pretty hard to get them to respond sometimes. Voice commands during freefall don't work well at all even when the guy is strapped right to your back.

 

[Alfi]

The first step is usually taken by the guy strapped to your back.

NOT correct. There are different methods. I was static line. NO other person was near me. I fell the first 10m till the chute started to open. I fell another 30m or so till the chute opened, I landed alone from a 1500m jump height.

be careful with presumptions about the sport.

 

[DaveC426913]

I made a few bungee jumps

While skydiving is on my bucket list; I have no intention of ever bungie jumping.

The first step is usually taken by the guy strapped to your back.

Of course. That's my chance to be able to do it without flipping out.

 

[S_Happens]

I have 4 jumps, 3 tandem and 1 solo. I decided to go ahead and do the third tandem since my first jump had been 4 years prior.

The first jump is by far the best, and I highly recommend going with a tandem. I'm a serious adrenaline junkie, and like to dive right into everything, but I'll tell you that the first jump is almost pure sensory overload. Your awareness of your surroundings is seriously numb, and it's a lot more fun to simply enjoy the ride and let a professional worry about the rest. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed all my jumps (except for hurting my back on a really hard opening for my solo), but the first is by far the biggest rush, so my suggestion is tandem.

It's been over a year since I jumped (due partly to the injury, partly to bitterness about the opening) but I'll probably be starting to jump again within the next couple months.

 

[Huckleberry]

NOT correct. There are different methods. I was static line. NO other person was near me. I fell the first 10m till the chute started to open. I fell another 30m or so till the chute opened, I landed alone from a 1500m jump height.

be careful with presumptions about the sport.

I wasn't talking about static line. You get no freefall time that way. I was talking about tandem jumps, which are pretty common for first-timers. Static line misses half the experience.

 

[russ_watters]

As I said, my first (only) jump was a solo freefall and I highly recommend it. It is more expensive though.

Static line misses half the experience.

And tandem misses the other half!

 

[russ_watters]

How do you make that first step? I am sure I'll freeze in the doorway.

Mine was on a cargo-type plane with a loading ramp. The jump was similar to an inward dive*, where you walk to within a couple of steps of the edge, then back up toward it and stand right on the edge. You never look down out of the plane.

For the first few AFF jumps, you have a guy standing on either side of you holding on to your suit and you all jump at the same time. I suppose they could pull the rip cord if you freak out.

*You're supposed to jump straight back and arch, but I jumped back and leaned forward like an actual inward dive, which meant I went tumbling out of the plane. I stabilized after a few seconds though.

 

[S_Happens]

And tandem misses the other half!

Having done both (tandem and solo), I disagree. By far the most fun jump was my first tandem.


Like I said, I'm typically the one pushing the limit, but my recommendation is to start with the tandem. My first solo was pretty much a perfect execution without instructor assistance, so I wouldn't have been concerned with performance. It's just that it was much easier to let a pro handle the important stuff and enjoy the ride. Even on the second jump, your awareness level is much higher. After each successive jump, you realize how numb you really were on the early jumps.

A good tandem jump makes for a great vid too. If I get motivated (and some free time this week) I'll see about uploading mine.

 

[russ_watters]

I enjoyed flying and landing the 'chute myself about as much as I enjoyed the freefall.

I should have gotten the video, though.

 

[S_Happens]

I don't think there's anything exciting about plain ol' belly down freefall, especially after the first jump. I was handed the toggles on my 2nd and 3rd tandems. My first jump, we were getting pretty wild under the canopy so there wasn't any time to hand over the toggles even if he was willing to. I wasn't able to enjoy my canopy time on the solo due to being in the most intense pain I've ever been in. Most likely the slider was packed down by the risers instead of up at the chute, so my .78 wing loading opened in a second or so instead of 5+.

Anyway, with the possibility that I might never upload mine, here's a few vids although you probably won't be doing anything like this...

Long vid, but it's good if you don't know about Kittinger. He jumps around 4:30 if you want to skip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/81gn2oLeC_U&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/81gn2oLeC_U&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

So very jealous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-oQ--U-WaQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-oQ--U-WaQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Nuts...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttz5oPpF1Js&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttz5oPpF1Js&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

[Huckleberry]

As I said, my first (only) jump was a solo freefall and I highly recommend it. It is more expensive though. And tandem misses the other half!

Good point. Controlling the chute is half the fun, and it's also the longer half of the jump. Solo freefall is the way to go, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone who isn't sure they can take the first step on their own.

*You're supposed to jump straight back and arch, but I jumped back and leaned forward like an actual inward dive, which meant I went tumbling out of the plane. I stabilized after a few seconds though.

This sounds a lot like what I did on my first solo jump. The instructors called it "the hill". It's the change in velocity after exiting the aircraft. I tried to put my front side to the ground because that was the way I wanted to go. I was actually moving forward so I had no control over my dive and coupled with the uneasy falling sensation from acceleration I forgot my posture and ended up on my back. I fell down the hill. It was easy to correct after the first few seconds when I was moving downward fast enough.

 

[sandbanana]

I went this past July and it was one of the best things I have ever done. Talk about exhilarating. I jumped tandem and ended up lucking out to get the best seat in the plane. My buddy and his partner went in, then my jump-guy and I was the last one in. The plane was going down the runway when my instructor was closing the door. I sat right next to the
window in a little Cessna. We were crammed in there. The ride up took about 20 min.

Around 7000ft we started getting ready to jump at which point my instructor made me his *****. Once he was hooked up to me we reviewed our training and the instructor's coordinated when they would jump.

Then the door was opened.

My instructor and I shimmied ourselves so that we were next to the door facing the rear of the plane. I was a little worried but reminded myself that my intent was to fall out anyway plus I had the chute strapped to my instructor strapped to my back.

Next I oriented my left leg out the door and place my left foot onto a little platform followed by my instructor moving his left leg out the door. Then the same was done with the right leg.

At this time I was sitting out the door of a plane at 11000ft.

My instructor tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I was ready to skydive. I told him yes and gave a thumbs up.

All I did next was cross my arms over my chest and literally let myself fall out of the plane. I immediately went into my arch and plummeted toward the Earth. There was a small cloud that we went into (small enough not to warrant not jumping because of limited visbility) which was pretty cool and then I saw the Earth below me. Its pretty trippy. The cool thing about the cloud was that I was ble to look straight ahead and get a gauge of the decent speed.

Falling is an interesting sensation. It doesn't really feel like anything, especially once you hit terminal velocity. I forgot to mention how incredibly loud it was. Very loud.

At 5500ft my instructor flashed his hands in front of my face and I pulled the ripcord. (W)OW! That was the probably more intense than actually falling out of the plane, and painful. My groin was sore for a few days afterward. Not to mention the whole ride down was very uncomfortable. However, it was a samll price to pay for the experience. Plus I found out that if needed I could have stood on my instructor's legs and adjusted myself.

On the way down I took control of the toggles and we did a few corkscrew spins and practice landings. Floated around for a bit and the instructor aimed us toward the ground where we came in and landed.

Very, very cool. I want to do it again and if you get the chance to by all means do it.

PS-gives you a new meaning to the word faith.

 

[Huckleberry]

At 5500ft my instructor flashed his hands in front of my face and I pulled the ripcord. (W)OW! That was the probably more intense than actually falling out of the plane, and painful. My groin was sore for a few days afterward. Not to mention the whole ride down was very uncomfortable. However, it was a samll price to pay for the experience. Plus I found out that if needed I could have stood on my instructor's legs and adjusted myself.

On the way down I took control of the toggles and we did a few corkscrew spins and practice landings. Floated around for a bit and the instructor aimed us toward the ground where we came in and landed.

That's cool that you got to pull the cord and pilot the chute a little. I didn't get to do that on my first jump. Did you hold onto the cord? Did they let you keep it? I dropped the cord on one of my dives and the deal was that I had to buy the instructors a 6 pack.

For any male considering skydiving, wear loose fitting or stretchy pants, and maybe some tighty whiteys. If things are in the wrong position when the harness pulls on your groin you won't forget it for a while.

 

[sandbanana]

I actually have no idea what became of the cord. I definitely did not hold on to it and I do not believe I was told to hang on to it. If they make a cord that auto-retracts that would be my best guess.